INTERACTION BETWEEN STRESS, MINE GEOMETRY AND ROCK MASS BEHAVIOR AT ACANADIAN SHIELD MINE

Characterizing the spatial distribution of rock stresses is a challeng e, especially in the geologically complex environments typically found at most metalliferous mines. Therefore instead of focusing, specifica lly, on the task of making stress measurements, the engineer should in stead attempt to develop a better understanding of the interaction bet ween stress, mining geometry and rock mass behaviour. This paper demon strates such an approach using a Canadian Shield hardrock mine case st udy, in which geomechanical models are used lo relate stress, mining g eometry, and rock mass properties to observed excavation response, and numerical modelling is used to better quantify this interaction.